BT Sport to show Harrogate Town’s Wembley final for free

Harrogate Town’s FA Trophy final against Concord Rangers is to be broadcast live for free by BT Sport.

The match will be played behind closed doors at Wembley on Monday.

BT Sport usually charges to watch matches but has decided to show Harrogate’s game for free across all its platforms.

It will be available via BTSport.com, the BT Sport App, BT TV, the Sky Digital Satellite Platform and Virgin Media channel 100.

After the game, the channel will also show Proud To Be Town, its documentary on the rise of Harrogate Town that gives a unique insight into a football club during the first coronavirus lockdown.

The schedule for the day is as follows:

12.45pm – Live – FA Vase Final – Consett v Hebburn Town
3.30pm – The Grassroots Football Show
4.30pm – Live – FA Trophy Final – Harrogate Town v Concord Rangers
7.30pm – BT Sport Films – Proud To Be Town

Simon Green, head of BT Sport, said:

“Following a period when many lower league football fans have been unable to watch their sides, we hope our coverage will provide them with an opportunity to watch an exciting non-league finals day live from Wembley Stadium.”

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A fan campaign supported by Harrogate & Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones attempted to persuade the Football Association to let fans watch the match live.

But the FA confirmed this month it wouldn’t allow this, which means Town fans will be cruelly denied a trip to the home of English football for the second time in 12 months.

The Stray Ferret will be at the Cedar Court Hotel on Monday to watch the game with the fans and will be reporting throughout the day.

The club and the hotel have got together to show the game on a big screen to 42 supporters and are offering food and drink as part of the package. Click here to purchase a ticket.

Harrogate Town FA Cup tie to be broadcast on BT Sport

Harrogate Town’s FA Cup first round tie against non-league Skelmersdale United will be broadcast live on BT Sport.

The fixture against Skelmersdale, who play in the North West Counties League Premier Division, is expected to earn Town £32,500 as part of the Football Association’s live broadcast fee.

The winner of the tie will also receive £16,972 from the FA prize fund, with the losing side receiving £5,657.

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Town will host the tie at the EnviroVent Stadium on Wetherby Road on Friday November 6, at 7.45pm.

Skelmersdale United reached the first round for the first time since 1971 last weekend after defeating Stafford Rangers 4-1.

The Lancashire club is also the lowest ranked side left in this year’s FA Cup.

BT Sport to broadcast Harrogate Town documentary tonight

Harrogate Town’s fairytale ascent into the English Football League will be the subject of a major TV documentary tonight.

Proud To Be Town will be premiered on BT Sport at 10pm and will be available on the BT Sport app on Saturday.

BT Sport is billing the 90-minute programme as the first full-length documentary to highlight the “profound impact” of the Covid pandemic on football.

Filming for the documentary began in June when the club began preparing for the National League playoffs after the season had been curtailed in March due to the lockdown. Town went on to win a historic Wembley playoff final against Notts County 3-1 in August.

The behind-the-scenes film traces the club’s exploits on the pitch as well as exploring how coronavirus hit the club’s finances.

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Simon Green, head of BT Sport, said:

“This is not just the story of one club. It reflects aspects of almost every football club in the country amid the Covid pandemic.

“A large proportion of the film was self-shot by members of the team and club staff on phones and tablets, who enthusiastically recorded their experiences of lockdown, getting back into action and making their historic bid for promotion.

“We are grateful for the club’s collaboration.”

Harrogate Town says ‘thank you’ to fans with ticket price freeze

Harrogate Town will freeze both matchday and season ticket prices next season, even if the club gets promoted to League Two.

The club said it wants to “reward loyal fans” who have been unable to watch their team play in person since March due to the lockdown.

An advanced standing matchday ticket price will remain at £16 for an adult and £12 for a concession. A standing adult season ticket will be £269 and a concession will be £189. A full price list is on the club’s website.

The English Football League and the National League are yet to announce when the 2020/2021 will begin — but last week Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave the green light for fans to return to sporting grounds from October, albeit at a reduced capacity.

Town is currently building a new stand at the CNG stadium which will increase the ground’s capacity to 5,000.

Harrogate Town will play Boreham Wood at the CNG Stadium at 2.30pm on Saturday with the winner going onto Wembley on August 2 for the chance to play in League Two next season. The game will be shown live on BT Sport.

The Stray Ferret will be reporting live from the CNG Stadium.

The winner will play the winner of Notts County vs Barnet which also takes place on Saturday.

Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver said:

“Over the last 12 weeks club business has continued and that has involved preparations for the new campaign. Part of that work involved ticket pricing. I am really pleased that, together with the directors, we decided to freeze the prices for next season whether we are playing our football in the National League or the EFL.”

“The players and I wanted supporters to know how much we count on your following, we wanted to say thank you at this difficult time. We look forward to seeing you all at the ground in the near future.”

The announcement was welcomed by Jordan Ford of the Harrogate Town Supporters Club.

The club was criticised by fans last season for raising ticket prices after its promotion from the National League North.

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Jordan told The Stray Ferret that the ticket price freeze could attract more fans to the club.

He said:

“Credit to the club in identifying the mistakes which were made last season. Hopefully this decision will drive us forwards in expanding our supporters base.

“There’s a lot of potential for new supporters in the town, and by offering an affordable ticketing policy is a great way to attract this support. It would great if those supporters will be watching us in League Two.”

Harrogate Town fans to send cut-outs to crucial game

Fans of Harrogate Town will be able to send a cardboard cut-out version of themselves to the club’s crucial play-off game later this month.

The cut-outs, which cost £20, will be placed in prominent locations within the CNG Stadium. Some will even be put inside changing rooms to inspire the players.

The game will be played behind closed doors and will also be shown live on BT Sport. The date is still to be confirmed, with Town set to play the winner of Halifax Town vs Boreham Wood.

The first 25 fans who buy a cut-out will have theirs signed by the entire first-team squad. Every fan who buys a cut-out will be able to collect it after the game as a memento.

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Harrogate Town assistant manager Paul Thirlwell said the cut-outs could spur the team on to victory.

He said:

“It will definitely make a difference to see our fans in the stands – albeit cut-out ones!

“Our fans have been incredible again this season, and I’m sure many of them will continue to support us on our journey, hopefully towards play-off success.”

Jordan Ford from the Harrogate Town Supporters Club told the Stray Ferret the cut-outs are an “excellent idea and one which I hope the Town fans embrace”.

He also said the supporters club has organised a 20ft x 10ft flag to display at the stadium which includes pictures of fans.

Several sports team around the world have asked fans to buy cut-outs so they can feel part of the action whilst bringing in much-needed revenue. However, last weekend Leeds United were forced to apologise after an Osama Bin Laden cut-out was spotted at Elland Road.

Visit this website to purchase a cut-out.